The Things We Do For Love
by native portlandian
Summary: Sometimes, all someone needs is a little push. Oneshot.


Cyborg was frustrated. No, frustrated was an understatement. He was absolutely up the wall with annoyance.

Beast Boy, his best friend, was refusing to pop the question to his girlfriend of four years. _Despite_ the fact that she was dropping hints like crazy. It was common knowledge that the green man wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but _c'mon_!

"I think I'd look nice in white. What do you think, Beast Boy?"

"Have you seen Starfire's engagement ring? It's quite beautiful."

"What type of flowers do you like?"

"You should get a new tuxedo."

And this was coming from Raven. _Raven_. The woman who said maybe ten words a day! Who was known for being cryptic! But _lord_ it was so obvious that she wanted the kid to just get down on one knee already.

Cy attempted to ask Beast Boy about it while they were playing video games, but it didn't yield much results. They were playing their favorite racing game (which Cyborg was dominating), so it may not have been the best time for the conversation – Beast Boy was in the zone.

"Hey, BB," Cyborg began, somewhat tentatively, "how are you and Rae doing?"

"Great," the young man said, eyes glued to the screen. "She's been spending a lot of time with Star lately. Girly stuff."

"Ah," Cy said. Nightwing and Starfire's wedding was in a month, and Raven was the Maid of Honor. "Like pickin' out dresses or something?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "Dude, I am _totally_ catching up to you!"

Cyborg wasn't ready to give up yet. "Cool that 'Wing and Star's wedding is coming up, huh?"

The changeling frowned. "I guess."

"You guess?" Cy raised an eyebrow.

"I mean we're so…young, ya know?" Beast Boy fidgeted. "It's kinda…weird."

"Man, I'm twenty-eight years old!" Cyborg laughed, teasing. "We're gettin' up there!"

The kid shrugged again. They were quiet for a moment.

"You thinkin' of marrying her?" Cyborg asked, quietly. Beast Boy was so surprised by the question that his car crashed into the wall and exploded. Large red letters proclaimed GAME OVER on the screen.

"What?" he asked, his voice squeaking.

"It's just a question," Cy said, hands up defensively. "I mean, y'all have been dating for what, four years?"

Beast Boy scoffed. "So? That doesn't mean we have to get hitched!"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "Are you saying you don't want to marry her?"

"Of course I do!" he said, and then slapped his hands over his mouth. He stood up, looking around.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Cyborg asked.

"Do you think she heard?" Beast Boy whispered through his fingers. His eyes were wide.

Cyborg's brow crinkled. "No? And even if she did, why would she care? I bet she wants to marry you too."

Beast Boy plopped back down on the couch, looking less than happy. "I don't know. I just…" he gestured frantically at the air. "What if she doesn't?"

"Want to marry you?"

"Yes!" he said, throwing his hands up. "What if she doesn't want to settle for me? What if she doesn't actually like me and these last four years have been some sort of crazy prank? What if this is all a dream and I'm gonna wake up fourteen again and she hates me? What if –"

"Okay, stop." Cyborg pinched the bridge of his nose. "You should ask her."

"Dude, I just listed like a million reasons why I shouldn't!"

"And all of them were crazy!" Cyborg said, sternly. "C'mon. Just do it. I can help you!"

Beast Boy shook his head, stubborn. "No way, man. There is too much on the table. I'm still hung up on the dream idea."

He gave up on Beast Boy after that.

Raven _had_ to be the smart one.

So one day, when Raven came in to make tea while Cy made breakfast, he decided to broach the question to her.

"How're you and BB doin', Raven?" he asked nonchalantly. Raven padded past him, headed for the box of tea packets on the counter.

"Good," she said, daintily picking up a packet of Earl Grey. "Can you hand me the tea kettle?"

Cyborg reached over and grabbed the pot off of its high shelf. He handed it off to her. "No annoyances or anything?"

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Did he ask you to do this? We had a small disagreement about toilet paper yesterday. I wasn't angry."

"No, no." Cyborg went back to his pancake mix, stirring slowly. "I was just wonderin'." There was a lull in the conversation, something not unusual with Raven around. Cyborg suddenly felt nervous. Raven was a lot harder to read than Beast Boy.

"Nightwing and Starfire are gettin' married soon. Kinda crazy, huh?"

Raven set the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. "Not really. They've been together for a long time. It was the next step."

"That's true." Cyborg was forcing himself to find a way to not make the next question awkward. "You and Beasty thinkin' of getting married?"

The mug Raven was taking out of the cabinet shattered. Shards of ceramic flew past Cyborg's face, embedding themselves in the side of the fridge. He clenched his teeth and risked a glance at the sorceress.

She looked somewhat shocked, still holding onto the handle of the shattered mug. "Beast Boy and I?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," Cyborg said carefully, picking a shard out of his mix. "Should I take that as a no?"

Raven was quiet for a moment, then: "I want to. But I don't know if he does."

"Why wouldn't he?" Cyborg asked, picking up more cup pieces from the floor. Raven helped, using her powers to collect them together and put them in the trash.

"He's such a…free spirit," she murmured. "We barely have anything in common. I don't think he would want to settle down with me."

"Well, you've been dating all this time, and you seem real happy," Cyborg said. "He loves you, Raven."

The half-demon blushed slightly. "I know he does. Who knows, maybe he will propose." She took the whistling kettle off the stove. Cyborg chewed his lip. A plan was forming in his mind.

He spent all afternoon in his garage, crafting away. By dinnertime, he was ready. It was Friday, so Star and Dick were out on a date. Cyborg had Beast Boy and Raven all to himself. They were up in the common room, Raven reading while Beast Boy played video games.

"Who wants to get PIZZA?" Cy asked, his excitement leaking through. Beast Boy popped up over the couch, turning into a big, drooling dog. Raven glanced up from her book.

"Sure," she muttered.

They went to their favorite pizza place and got half-veggie, half-meat-lover. It was a good thing that the owners liked them there – no one else wanted to make such an odd combo. The pizza came and everyone dug in. Cyborg held back from his usual feast; his mind was reeling. He suddenly began to feel anxious. What if the plan didn't work? What if he read it all wrong?

No. He shook his head. He wasn't going to let his friends suffer a minute longer.

Without hesitation, Cyborg pulled out his chair and dropped to one knee in front of Raven. His friends took a second to notice, confusion written on their faces.

"Cy, what are you –"

"Raven," Cyborg interrupted. He pressed a button on his arm, popping out a small compartment. Inside it was the ring he had been making all day. It had come out pretty nice, even if it didn't have the traditional diamond. He plucked it out and held it up before her. "Will you…just freakin' marry Beast Boy already?"

Raven's eyes were very wide. She looked over at Beast Boy, who seemed just as shocked, if not more. "Is this…a prank?" she asked.

"Not a prank," Cy said. "Since y'all are too chicken to ask each other, I'm askin' for ya. Temporarily of course. But I'm serious."

"Dude, what? You're proposing _for_ us? Like, to both of us? For each other?"

"Yes," he said, still on his knee. People were starting to stare. "So? What'll it be?"

Raven and Beast Boy stared at one another, cheeks flushed. Raven blinked rapidly. Cyborg was surprised nothing had exploded.

"I…" Raven glanced back at Cyborg, then to Beast Boy. "I think I'm going to say yes."

"Really?" Beast Boy cried, leaping up from his chair. "Then I say yes too! Yes, yes, yes!" He hopped across the table and grabbed Raven's face, planting a huge kiss on her lips. Cyborg's soda imploded.

He let them kiss for a minute before getting up, chuckling to himself. He then scooped both of them up in either arm and hugged them.

"Man," he said, tears welling in his human eye. "I'm so glad I proposed for y'all!"


End file.
